Housekeeping

For those of you who were interested in my online job, I've updated that post with more information about how you can find a work from home job.


I will no longer be allowing anonymous comments on my blog. It's easy to sign up for a google account so you can post comments. You can sign up under any email address so don't worry, you won't have to get another email account.

xoxoxo

Happy New Year~!!!!!

Happy Anniversary

Yet another holiday/celebration for us. Today was our 7th anniversary. Wow! We're old.

This is our "first dance as husband and wife". We got married...a long long time ago, right after a blizzard. Seriously, who gets married--- in December, in Pennsylvania---when you live in Florida?


This is us a few weeks ago when we finally got a night out, just the two of us. It wasn't perfect though because I had no voice, none, at all. I was pretty much just Arm Candy for Matt.

Christmas in PA

We had a great time in PA. Christmas Eve was fun with the men out and about and the ladies and children at Didi and Pap's house but all of us enjoyed our time together.

Christmas morning was C.R.A.Z.Y.!!!! Juliana and especially Eliana still had no idea what was going on, although Eliana started opening her first gift, which she strangely found on her own, first thing in the morning before anyone was ready.


Sasha, Kris, and Jake had a great time tearing through their gifts. I don't think I saw much of what anyone got, except for Sasha's Hannah Montana doll and pajamas. You couldn't miss her screaming. (FYI: We have no idea why she loves Hannah Montana so much because we don't even watch the show.)
No one knew who got what and I think Juliana may have opened some of my gifts. It was loud, it was crazy, paper was flying but fun was had by all....well, at least I think so.

Pictures here

No Title---Just a LONG and, hopefully FUNNY post.

We had a wonderful time in PA and it wasn't too cold for us which was nice. Pictures to come in another post but I thought I would share our travelling home experience first. Are you ready?

We decided to fly home on Friday so we didn't hit all the crowds over the weekend. We had a 6PM flight out of Baltimore so we left PA at 2:30 (we knew it was delayed 30minutes when we left). We got to the airport, had dinner and went to the gate where we learned our flight was delayed until 7:30. OK, no biggie. And then, the 'youknowwhat' hit the fan. The gate agents made an announcement that our plane was there, Yahoo!, but than they said that our flight attendants were coming in on another flight which was not scheduled to arrive (delayed) until 8:49 PM, UnYahoo!

We had been at the airport for hours but the girls were great. They gravitated towards these 2 cutie-pies---probably about 1 1/2 and 2 years old---and played with them for a long time. Eliana also managed to pull the little girl's hair. I tried to put Eliana to sleep but she wasn't having that! And, Sasha made a comment in the bathroom stall about Mommy that I can't repeat because it made my face turn red.

Finally, the flight attendants arrived to applause from all the passengers at our gate and we started to board the plane. We were all on the plane, all seated, all bags in the overhead bins or completely underneath the seat in front of us. I had a bottle ready for Eliana so she would fall asleep, Sasha's movie was ready to play in her DVD player and Matt and I had already planned which glass of wine we were going to order.

We sat, and sat and sat for a good 30 minutes. Then the pilot came on and said that the flight attendants were over their alloted daily hours and would not be able to work. At that point, they asked us all to deplane. DEplane DEplane. It was about 10:00PM.

While waiting in the terminal for news, Eliana fell asleep and Sasha officially began bouncing off the walls. This isn't totally out of the ordinary but after 6 hours of it, it kind of gets to you. I have to say, though, that her behavior was much better than some of the adults who were ranting and raving over this inconvenience.

Fortunately, Matt had his laptop and was able to book us another flight for the next morning and we didn't wait in the line for new boarding passes. Eliana slept through picking up our luggage, waiting outside for the hotel shuttle, checking in, laying her in bed, unpacking the necessities. Sasha was fast asleep within a few minutes of getting under the covers. Lucky Kids!




My main concern was that we didn't have enough food and formula for Eliana, and I always overpack the diaper bag. Matt had the shuttle driver from the hotel drive him to a 24 hour WalMart. While there, he decided to buy breakfast for us for the next morning. This is what he actually purchased:
1/2 gallon of milk
1 full sized box of cereal
a large 12 pack of pop-tarts
3 apples
3 oranges
3 bananas
6 jars of baby food
formula
But wait there's more!
a package of bowls
a package of cups
a bag of spoons
dish detergent
a bottle brush to wash the bottles

That was not a joke. It was not an exaggeration. I'm not kidding. It probably would have been cheaper to order room service. Or, maybe....just maybe...I should have gone.

After a few hours of sleep, Eliana woke up and started playing like it was no big deal that we were in strange room. We ate breakfast and all took a bath or shower. My bra strap broke as I got dressed (don't ask) but other than that our morning was uneventful. Well, Sasha's comments about the gate agent's hair were amusing. He had dreadlocks, "Mommy look at that man's wig. Mommy is THAT hair? What is that on his head?" Because all the flights to our airport were booked, we did have to fly to a nearby city, only 1 hour away, and rent a car to get home. Matt and Sasha returned the rental car to the airport today and picked up my car. The adventure ended.

Wow. I remember when Matt and I used to fly with only one carry-on each and being stranded was no big deal.

Updates

Eliana is now taking 5-6 full 2-steps at a time.


Sasha lost her first tooth. Daddy had to pull it out to finish it off. It happened during Christmas dinner and of course, she barely ate because she was too busy examining the bloody tooth and asking about the tooth fairy. I told her that the tooth fairy comes to take her baby teeth to give to new babies. I was SCARED TO DEATH to go in and take the tooth (she had to put it in a bag that zippers because we didn't bring her tooth fairy pillow that Bubbe sent to us). I really was convinced I was going to wake her up so I had a story all planned about how I thought I heard a noise and I was going in to check on her. She didn't wake up until the morning. The tooth fairy left her $2 and she was walking on air!

Oh yes, I DO have a job! ***Updated with more info***

I have to admit that I do love indulging in a nap while Eliana is taking a nap but I was feeling a little....a little...well, I was feeling a little lazy. It didn't matter if Eliana was teething and up for 3 hours in the middle of the night. It didn't matter if I went to bed late because I was loading the dishwasher/vaccuming/doing laundry/taking a shower the night before and needed my nap. I still felt like I needed to contribute somehow.

So, a friend of mine told me about this great, fun and easy online job. I'm writing responses to product reviews. They actually ask for you to be witty in your responses. Witty=corny and corny I can do! So that's it. Just 2 hours a day M-F and I'm making anywhere between $8 and $10 per hour depending on my output, depending on my naptime.

I am a working mom! I do have a "real" job. So there!

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I am not allowed to discuss the company I work for online. Well, I could tell you but then I'd have to kill you! ;) They are not hiring for this position anymore, anyway. I got lucky thanks to a friend of mine who referred me! It is kind of a marketing research/communications/writing position. Sorry. If you are interested in finding a work from home job, check out WAHM.com. The site is updated every few days with LEGIT work from home positions.

Happy Belated Birthday to Mommy!

Yesterday, I turned 20 (+15) We went out to eat at a restaraunt in the mall. I would like to think the mall hired the Ballon Guy just for me.

Dessert was the Brusters Ice Cream that Daddy had to bring home. Eliana wasn't interested in staying for dessert so we came home.

I have a question.

It's 2:38 AM, yes I said AM--that would be the middle of the night AM.

It's 2:38 AM. Do you know where your child's teeth are?

Eliana's are coming into her mouth with a vengeance. Three have popped through in the last week and I can see at leaste one more on the way. She's not eating well and, obviously, let me remind you it's 2:38 AM, she's not sleeping well, either.

I'm off to see if I can sleep another few hours before she wakes up again.

The Problem with Being a Great Big Sister

The problem is that Eliana (and Murray apparantly) want to do everything Sasha does. We got her a dance mat for Hanukkah and she really wanted to try it. As you can see, she is nowhere on it but both Murray and Eliana have made themselves at home. We had to wait until Ellie's naptime and had to bribe Murray with a bone so she could try it ON HER OWN!

There is also the problem of being followed around whenever you have any kind of food. After I took the picture, Murray just helped himself to a bite right out of her bowl.

Beauty is in the eye of the beholder.

Or at least in the eye of the 5-year-old. Sasha saw this purse the other day and fell in love with it. She kept carrying it around and looking at herself in the mirror. Fortunately, and not surprisingly, it was on clearance for $8.00! Really, what woman can pass up a good deal on a purse? Certainly not Sasha's Mommy.

Family Pictures

We had REAL family pictures taken a few weeks ago. For those of you who have adopted, you have to check out Celebrating Adoption. It is a network of photographers who donate their time (session fee is waived) to photograph the family. You are also provided with a set of proofs.

I LOVE this picture and wanted to share with you.

One Down and One Up

Eliana had another bottom tooth pop through last night.

And.............

Drum Roll Please.......pppppbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbb

Sasha has her first loose tooth!

Kind of funny how life works, isn't it?

You Go Girl!

Sasha earned her Yellow Belt today. Her Karate school had a "Mega Graduation" today. They also had performances by some All-Star black belt groups. I was so impressed with the number of girls, young girls, who had their black belts. I hope Sasha recognized it, too.

We almost didn't send her for the test because we didn't think she was ready. She knew her kicks and punches but her focus....well, it leaves a lot to be desired. She enjoys the wall-to-wall mirrors at the school and spends a lot of time making faces in the mirror. Her coordination is getting better, but as you can see in the picture with her Sensei, it's still not 100% there! It's funny but not quite what it takes to get a higher belt. I talked to her Sensei and he felt that she was ready.

I'm so glad we decided to let her try. The look of sheer joy and pride on her face when they handed her the yellow belt brought tears to my eyes.

The Life

Doesn't every dog wish he had his own pretty, pink tent to sleep in and pretty little baby bringing money?

Money

Not only does it grow on trees but it's edible too!

Kissing

Eliana's new trick, is kissing. She leans in with her mouth open wide. You get a bunch of slobber but it's so worth it. I think Murray loves it best of all because babies taste soooo good (I wonder if they taste like chicken).

Only in Florida

Only in Florida does Santa have to drive around on a firetruck. (Seriously, it's been in the 80's this week---even a little too warm, for December anyway, for me!)

They do this every year in our town. For about a week, Santa comes through the neighborhoods on his firetruck. Can you see the sleigh outlined in lights? They do post a schedule so you aren't outside every night waiting for him. As you can see from the pictures, it's a big deal in our neighborhood. Oh, and the best part, Santa's helpers throw candy! Sasha was the most excited (and the only) Jewish kid there! ;)

We heard from Eliana's birthmother.

I was shocked to find a box at the front door with the return address of our agency. And, then I started crying because I just knew it had to be something from R. I ran inside, grabbed the scissors, and ripped it open. The card simply said that she thinks about us all the time "especially now that Eliana's first Christmas is coming". And then she just said she made "something special" for the girls and she hoped it was appropriate. It was FANTASTIC to hear from her but I have to admit that I wanted more. I want to know how she's doing. I want to know what she thinks about Eliana. I'd even settle for her to tell me the last good book she's read. I guess I just want to know if she's doing ok.

She had made each of the girls a glass Christmas ball. I think it's wonderful that she thought of Sasha, too. It's sad that we never met Sasha's birthmom and short of a miracle, never will. So I guess R is sort of like her surrogate birthmother/step birthmother---weird...but you know what I mean.

So, I was planning on sending R a gift around Eliana's first birthday but I'm wondering if I should do it sooner.

A Special Visit

We went to visit N and V this past weekend. Those of you who are long-time readers of my blog will know who they are. (In a nutshell, they were the founders of the agency we used to adopt Sasha. They had custody of her for 3 weeks, after the other couple backed out of her adoption, until we could get legal custody.) We have been keeping in touch all this time but we hadn't seen them in forever. It was so nice to see them and their doggies (they also have 2 maltese).

Unfortunately, I don't have many pictures to share because....ummmmmmm, we were just having too much fun (ahem----wine---IT'S EUROPEAN!) for me to take pictures.

Another Day, Another Tooth?

Yes, Eliana has some teeth coming in. Well, there is definitely one to the side of her non-existent top teeth. It seems as though they won't be coming in any particular order. We can also see one coming in to the side of her bottom teeth. "They" say that she should be getting her two top teeth next. Guess "They" are so wrong.

Oh, and again, we wouldn't have known it was coming except that she put my finger in her mouth and chomped on it. I guess stones are ok to chew on.

You Do What You Can

I do what I can to get dinner on the table every night! If that involves allowing Eliana to pull things out of the freezer and chew on frozen bags of vegetables, so be it!

They do exist!

Have you seen the signs that say something like, "Speed controlled by aircraft"? Did you think to yourself, "Yeah right, that'll be the day"?

Yeah, they are real. Matt got pulled over on Friday, on our way out of town. Just as he put down the window to talk to the cop, someone was being pulled over in front of us and someone behind us! They were cracking down.

They were also being very nice, at least to us anyway. Matt got off with a warning. And then it took a really long time to get to our journey's end because we had to go exactly the speed limit the whole way.

TahDah!!!!

Eliana took her first teeny little baby shuffle step today....right to Sasha, of course! We tried to get her to do it again but she just kept sitting down and clapping for herself.

Denial

Eliana turned 11 months yesterday. I'm not happy about that because that means she will be one year old soon. Not happy. What happened to my baby? I remember taking her to the pediatrician for her first visit and telling the lady next to me that she was 5 days old. 5 days!!!! BOOOO HOOOOOO!!!!!!

Hey! This looks like a good place to sleep.

I had the highchair tray laying on the floor so that Eliana wouldn't pull it off for the millionth time! Murray, after searching for droppings, decided he needed to take a rest there.

Go Elf Yourself

Click me! It's too much fun!

And then click me!

Happy Hanukkah

Hanukkah is a celebration of miracles. What's your miracle?

My miracles:



More pictures here

Whose idea was this?

Whose idea was it to allow Eliana to eat a sweet potato on her own? I guess it was mine. And I guess it feels great to rub them through your hair. Note to self, you CAN NOT just wipe food out of Eliana's hair. She loved the sweet potato, by the way.

Big Ham

Eliana knows the camera now and starts smiling as soon as she sees it. Or, she just wants to put it in her mouth.

Ummmmm Ken?

Is there something you need to tell Barbie? Maybe Sash has a future as a stylist...maybe?

Human Jungle Gym

I can't lay down on the floor without Eliana making a beeline towards me to crawl all over me! I don't mind it a bit.

Who really likes crawling in the grass?

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